Lluís Alfons Ariño Martín, Rovira i Virgili Universit, Spain

Motivation to join the Board of Directors

My motivation is simple, to try to contribute to prepare and anticipate the needs of the European higher education system, providing a transversal vision of both the (global) education ecosystem and the EU legal framework, especially the one that will apply to education. In addition, I can provide the vision of how to address the necessary flexibility of higher education, and how the new paradigm of digital credentials, verifiable credentials, together with the required citizen sovereignty will be an opportunity.

Short bio

Positions:

  • Deputy to Manager & Commissioner of Open Gov. and ICT for strategic planning of ICT and resources at Rovira i Virgili University  – Digital Strategist
  • CIO of University of Rovira i Virgili from 2005 till April 2023, ensuring ICT alignment to university’ strategy.
  • Coordinator of the international area of ICT sectoral committee (CRUE-TIC) at National Association of Spanish University Rectors (CRUE Universidades)
  • Convenor educational use case (Diplomas) at European Blockchain Partnership (EBP)
  • National expert on eIDAS ToolBox Process
  • Spanish representative and convener for educational use case (Diplomas and educational credentials) at eIDAS Toolbox working group
  • Member of the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW) and Once Only Technical System Synergies group
  • Digital Credentials for Europe (DC4EU) WP5 leader – to define educational trust framework for education and professional qualifications, titles and licenses aligned to eIDAS 2
  • Member of the Digital Space for Skills project (DS4Skills)
  • Member of the EUA Digital Transformation Steering Committee

Level of expertise (related references):

  1. At national level
    • As active member of ICT Sectoral Committee (CRUE-TIC)
      • I coordinated and co-wrote the “Trends Report on Digital Transformation”, been used by several Spanish Universities as guidance to accomplish real digitalization and digital transformation
    • As coordinator of the e-Government working group of the ICT Sectoral Committee (CRUE-TIC, 2010-2014) with the goal to harmonize the implementation of eGovernment at the Spanish university system
      • I had the opportunity to represent CRUE in the Sectoral Committee of the Electronic Public Administration. Equivalently to the relevant responsibilities of the central government, the Autonomous Communities, and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, the CRUE is responsible for the higher education environment.
      • Member of the education track in Spanish Single Digital Gateway task force
      • I actively collaborated on the preparation and review of State regulation of e-government, especially the National Interoperability Framework (Royal Decree 4/2010) and its Technical Interoperability Regulations, and of the National Security Framework (Royal Decree 3/2010) and its Technical Security Regulations.
    • As member of the CRUE Open Science working group,
      • I actively participate in the definition of policy recommendation on Open Science to Spanish Higher Education system
    • As member of the Catalonian Government on Open Science,
      • I actively participate in the definition of policy recommendation on Open Science to Catalonian Education and Research ecosystem
  2. At EU level:
    • As convenor of educational use case at EBSI (European Blockchain Services Infrastructure) project
      • I’m having the opportunity (since 2019) to work and collaborate with designated MS representatives of all MS + LI + NO (representatives of such, Ministry of education and Ministry of Digitalization), as well as Heads of unit of DG-CNECT-F3 and DG-DIGIT, sharing the educational business challenges for the Digital era and Skills agenda, and how verifiable credentials can enable a new paradigm for education and cross-border interoperability.
      • Special synergies have been reached with DG-EMPL aligning for the definition of a unique common data model for education (formal, non-formal, informal). MS agreed to re-use it for Diplomas Use Case, enabling real LLL and PLP
    • As leader of the educational use case at eIDAS Toolbox (together with DG-EAC and DG-EMPL)
      • I have the opportunity to influence on a more user centric approach vision, and the need of all DGs to cooperate and collaborate together (DG-EAC, DG-EMPL, DG-CNECT-H4, DG-CNECT-F3). As a result, a first meeting will be held on March 18th, to share that need to collaborate putting the citizens in the focus
      • Unique common data model at EU level requires alignment between the European Learning Model (ELM) and the data model used in HEI mobility (ELMO). We’re acting as a bridge between EMREX board and DG-EMPL to accomplish it, and get a clear timeline and impact for end user institutions (HEIs)
    • As member of the Single Digital Gateway educational task force
      • I have also shared the need to collaborate with other DGs (aligning aspects for students’ identity, semantic dimension, and alignment with other equivalent initiatives like EWP, OLA, Knowledge HUB etc.), and consider reality for education, especially Higher Education, in Europe.
    • As member of the Advisory board at Education and skills data space in GAIA-X
      • I am contributing on the definition of such data space in GAIA-X
      • I am identifying potential gaps between EU Data Spaces initiative and GAIA-X and foresee alignment.
    • As member of the Advisory Board at Digital Space for Skills (DS4Skills)
      • I am contributing on the identification of best practices around the world, initiatives and synergies at EU level, as well as links between learning offering, employers and job market.
    • As member of the GEANT Educational Task Force
      • I am sharing opportunities on how to increase alignment between GEANT services (projects or initiatives), and real educational business needs, trends and EU initiatives.
  3. At international level:
    • As member of World Bank’s for education task force,
      • I am realizing worldwide educational diversity, but the need and will to work for a common interoperable scenario, and how European Union initiatives get attention and attraction worldwide
    • Digital Credentials Consortium (DCC) led by MIT
      • I am collaborating with DCC on the field of educational credentials. DCC is highly interested in the EBSI paradigm for education, and I collaborate to share and align both, technical and business requirements/policies for cross-border interoperability
    • As leader for Case studies & Experiences Group at Government Enterprise Architecture Working Group
      • I have cowrote the educational case study (Higher Education), sharing the Spanish Capability Map that contains capability definition for any HEI (Governance, Research, Education, Marketing, Supporting)
    • As EDUCAUSE member
      • I have the opportunity to get deeper understanding of USA’s HEI ecosystem, as well as contribute to key working groups (Teaching and Learning, Educational governance, CIOs, Security)
      • EDUCAUSE proposal reviewer since
    • As EBP educational use case convenor
      • I collaborate with several worldwide initiatives, sharing new paradigm enabled by verifiable digital credentials in the educational field (UNESCO, South Africa, South America)
  4. Advisory and expert positions:
    • Expert at EMREX User Group
    • Advisory Board at GAIA-X Education and Skills Data Space
    • Advisory Board at SHIELD EU project
    • Expert at The World Bank’s Blockchain for Education Community of Practice
    • Digital Europe Learning for All Expert
    • Digital Space 4 Skills project
    • Advisory board at Erasmus Without Paper
    • EUA Digital Transformation Steering Committee